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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Heat-dried sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum myceliogenically germinate in water and are able to infect Brassica napus

D. W. Lane A , L. G. Kamphuis A , M. C. Derbyshire A and M. Denton-Giles A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA 6102, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: matthew.denton-giles@curtin.edu.au

Crop and Pasture Science 69(8) 765-774 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP18109
Submitted: 23 February 2018  Accepted: 4 July 2018   Published: 24 July 2018

Journal compilation © CSIRO 2018 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

The phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum forms dormant structures (termed sclerotia) that germinate myceliogenically under certain environmental conditions. During myceliogenic germination, sclerotia produce hyphae, which can infect leaves or stems of host plants directly from the ground; this is termed basal infection. This study determined which abiotic conditions were most important for promoting myceliogenic germination of sclerotia in vitro. A high sclerotium hydration level and low incubation temperature (15°C) improved mycelial growth in the presence of a nutrient source. Sclerotia incubated without a nutrient source on moist sand, vigorously myceliogenically germinated most frequently (63%) when they had been previously imbibed and then conditioned at −20°C. By far the most consistent amount of vigorous myceliogenic germination (>75%) was produced when sclerotia were heat-dried before being submerged in water. The hyphae of these sclerotia were shown to infect and proliferate on leaves of intact Brassica napus plants. This research provides a better understanding of the abiotic conditions that are likely to increase the risk of basal infection by S. sclerotiorum.

Additional keywords: basal infection, canola, dryland agriculture, Sclerotinia stem rot.


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